Community Groups Call for Rezoning to Limit High Rise Development Near Prospect Park

The Prospect Park Alliance and residents of Prospect Lefferts Gardens are calling for a zoning change that would put a stop to high-rise developments on the edge of the park, NY1 reported. A group called Prospect Park East Network has formed to fight Hudson Companies’ planned 23-story high rise in the area, above, and is circulating a petition and a rendering to illustrate the impact on the park.

The area is the only one ringing the park that permits buildings of such height, according to Prospect Park East Network. The development at 626 Flatbush Avenue “will tower over Prospect Park, violating the unspoiled natural views which are a public amenity,” said their petition. The group also contends the development will increase rents in the area.

“We haven’t asked for any special variances, so what we’re doing is as-of-right zoning,” the story quoted Hudson Companies Vice President Alison Novak as saying. “And I think that when City Planning put together the zoning code, they were very careful about light and air and shadows. So I don’t think that that will be actually a major issue.”

Hudson is moving ahead with demolition on the site this year, and the city says it’s looking into the rezoning requests, said NY1.

8 Comment

This building is down the block from some other equally tall buildings. But this one is objectionable because… reasons? It’s really hilarious when the same people who complain about the lack of affordable housing advocate for restrictive zoning that drives up rental prices.

Um, because it’s awful, will cast long shadows on the park and is just generally totally out of place. What’s to like about it? And just because there are some tallish buildings nearby isn’t a justification to build more that are even taller.

The “shadows on the park” thing is apparently the new BS argument against tall buildings after the NYTimes foolishly published that blatantly self-interested Op-Ed a few weeks ago. (Guy is a rich lawyer who makes his money scamming community groups into paying him exhorbitant fees to sue the city/developers for frivolous things.)

This building will not cast a shadow on the park at all save in the very earliest hours of the morning. At all other hours, its shadow will fall short. In any case, this particular part of the park is not exactly unfamiliar with shadows, being heavily forested and thus entirely in shadow at ground level anyway.

This building is as of right and conforms to current zoning. It will be built. The PPA and the Prospect Park East Network are a bit late to the party on this issue. Why didn’t they ask for a rezoning before development was underway?

As an almost daily park user, there are plenty of other building that “violate the unspoiled natural views, which are a public amenity.” From the park I can see buildings on the PPW and to the east, really tall buildings like Tivoli Towers, 315 feet and 33 stories, and the Ebbetts houses, 25 stories. Shall we have those buildings lowered to a more acceptable height so as not to despoil the view?